Methods for linking recommendations

ABSTRACT

A computer-implemented method and system for enhancing interaction between a customer and a customer service representative of a company. Data related to the customer is stored and received at a computer operated by the company, wherein the data can include a customer name, a customer address and a customer number. A telephonic interaction is preferably commenced between the customer and the customer service representative and a Web session is preferably commenced on a Web site for a client computer of the customer service representative. At least a part of the data is displayed on a workstation of the customer service representative as a first Web page, wherein the first Web page includes at least one selectable link to a second Web page. At least one selectable link is selected by the customer service representative to display the second Web page.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/154,998 filed Oct. 9, 2018, which is incorporated herein by referencein its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present technology relates to improving customer interactions andeasing such interactions for the customer service representative, andmore particularly, to providing Web pages for review by the customerservice representative and depending upon interaction with the customerproviding links for selection by the customer service representative togenerate additional Web pages for related goods and services.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Customer service representatives are often responsible for a widevariety of tasks. In addition to being proficient in accomplishingparticular tasks like updating addresses or other status changes,providing new or updated quotes, responding to billing inquiries,cancelling and renewing services, and entering data related to thecustomer, the customer service representative is expected to be morethan cordial, pleasant, engaging and generally charming.

To support customer service representatives, each has a workstation. Thecustomer service representative relies on their workstation to providethem with information quickly in order to maintain conversational flowwith the customer. Despite tremendous computing power and the latesttechnology, delays are inevitably introduced by the support technology.Additional delays are also created by the customer servicerepresentative, whether it be the customer service representative'snatural speech cadence, thought process, deliberation over a selection,or simple consideration of what to say or type next. As a result,everyone is familiar with the unproductive long uncomfortable pause.

When dealing with a customer who has researched products and services inadvance, commonly by using the Internet, further difficulty arises inthat the customer might not understand or clearly communicate theresults of her research to the customer service representative. Often, acall to the company results from the customer's dissatisfaction andfrustration with the company's Web site.

Under such circumstances, customer service representatives are expectedto still mine the customer for opportunities to make new and additionalsales of products and services, often referred to as “upselling.” Thisis a difficult task. However, upselling is critical to expanding revenuewith a targeted group, which is predisposed to using the company forgoods and services (e.g., existing customers or potential customers whohave already reached out to the company).

It is understandable that with all that a customer servicerepresentative is expected to juggle, that presenting a warm, confident,informed face to the customer is challenging. Yet, this is exactly whatis expected. Thus, a need exists to provide support to the customerservice representatives to allow them to represent the company as wellas possible.

In response to these challenges, several approaches have been developedto improve customer service. U.S. Pat. No. 8,588,395, issued on Nov. 19,2013, collects data from a plurality of calls to generate reports. Uponreview of the reports, alerts are generated to identify poorlyperforming units. Other attempts at improvement look to remove, or atleast minimize, the role of the customer service representative herself.For example, U.S. PG Pub. No. 2012/0076283, published on Mar. 29, 2012,creates a smart chat room in which customers can be directed to anappropriate Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) or particular display thatmay assist the customer without interaction with a customer servicerepresentative. None of these teachings smartly assist the customerservice representative with the tasks of upselling.

Referral of services or additional information from the customer servicerepresentative to the customer is profitable and desirable. Thus, thereis an unmet need to provide companies, such as insurance companies, theability to enhance interactions between their customers and customerservice representatives to facilitate providing useful recommendationsto the customers that lead to additional sales.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The purpose and advantages of the below described illustratedembodiments will be set forth in and apparent from the description thatfollows. Additional advantages of the illustrated embodiments will berealized and attained by the devices, systems and methods particularlypointed out in the written description and claims hereof, as well asfrom the appended drawings.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposeof the illustrated embodiments, in one aspect, a computer-implementedmethod and system for enhancing interaction between a customer and acustomer service representative of a company. is described in which datarelated to the customer is stored and received at a computer operated bythe company, wherein the data can include a customer name, a customeraddress and a customer number. A telephonic interaction is preferablycommenced between the customer and the customer service representativeand a Web session is preferably commenced on a Web site for a clientcomputer of the customer service representative. At least a part of thedata is displayed on a workstation of the customer servicerepresentative as a first Web page, wherein the first Web page includesat least one selectable link to a second Web page. At least oneselectable link is selected by the customer service representative todisplay the second Web page.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that those having ordinary skill in the art, to which the presentembodiments pertain, will more readily understand how to employ thenovel system and methods, certain illustrated embodiments thereof willbe described in detail herein-below with reference to the followingdrawings.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary system for streamlining customer interactions.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an embodiment of a computing device.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method of utilizing theexemplary embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary screen shot for review by and interaction with acustomer service representative in accordance with the subjecttechnology.

FIG. 5A is another exemplary screen shot having a split screen forreview by and interaction with a customer service representative with aportion that is also available to the customer in accordance with thesubject technology.

FIGS. 5B-I are views of portions of the Web pages of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 5J is an exemplary screen shot having layered and linked Web pagesfor review by and interaction with a customer service representative inaccordance with the subject technology.

FIG. 6 is still another exemplary screen shot for review by andinteraction with a customer service representative in accordance withthe subject technology.

FIG. 7 is still another exemplary screen shot for review by andinteraction with a customer service representative in accordance withthe subject technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS

The below illustrated embodiments are directed to improving customerinteractions based on recommendations presented graphically to thecustomer service representative for discussion with the customer.Preferably, the graphical recommendation are links that may be easilyselected by the customer service representative to generate quotes foradditional goods and services.

It is to be appreciated the below illustrated embodiments are notlimited in any way to what is shown, as the illustrated embodimentsdescribed below are merely exemplary of the invention, which can beembodied in various forms, as appreciated by one skilled in the art.Therefore, it is to be understood that any structural and functionaldetails disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, butmerely as a basis for the claims and as a representative for teachingone skilled in the art to variously employ the certain illustratedembodiments. Also, the flow charts and methods described herein do notimply either required steps or a required order to the steps, and theillustrated embodiments and processes may be implemented in any orderand/or combination that is practicable.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art relating to the below illustrated embodiments. Although anymethods and materials similar or equivalent to those described hereincan also be used in the practice or testing of the below illustratedembodiments, exemplary methods and materials are now described.

It must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, thesingular forms “a”, “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless thecontext clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “astimulus” includes a plurality of such stimuli and reference to “thesignal” includes reference to one or more signals and equivalentsthereof known to those skilled in the art.

By way of example, the following description relates to a company thatprovides a broad array of financial services such as insurance, banking,health insurance, tax advice, investments, automobile buying andfinancing, retirement planning, consumer shopping, real estate and thelike. As used herein, the term “insurance” refers to a contract betweenan insurer, also known as an insurance company, and an insured, alsoknown as a policyholder, in which the insurer agrees to indemnify theinsured for specified losses, costs, or damage on specified terms andconditions in exchange of a certain premium amount paid by the insured.In a typical situation, when the insured suffers some loss for whichhe/she may have insurance the insured makes an insurance claim torequest payment for the loss. It is to be appreciated for the purpose ofthe embodiments illustrated herein, the insurance policy is not to beunderstood to be limited to a residential or homeowners insurancepolicy, but can be for a commercial, umbrella, and other insurancepolicies known by those skilled in the art.

As used herein, the term “insurance policy” may encompass a warranty orother contract for the repair, service, or maintenance of insuredproperty. As used herein, “insured property” means a dwelling, otherbuildings or structures, personal property, or business property, aswell as the premises on which these are located, some or all which maybe covered by an insurance policy.

It is to be appreciated the certain embodiments described herein may beutilized in conjunction with a software algorithm, program or coderesiding on computer useable medium having control logic for enablingexecution on a machine having a computer processor. The machinetypically includes memory storage configured to provide output fromexecution of the computer algorithm or program. As used herein, the term“software” is meant to be synonymous with any code or program that canbe executed by a processor of a host computer, regardless of whether theimplementation is in hardware, firmware or as a software computerproduct available on a disc, a memory storage device, or for downloadfrom a remote machine. The embodiments described herein include suchsoftware to implement the equations, relationships and algorithmsdescribed above. One skilled in the art will appreciate further featuresand advantages of the certain embodiments described herein. Thus thecertain embodiments are not to be understood to be limited by what hasbeen particularly shown and described, except as indicated by theappended claims.

Referring to FIG. 1, a hardware diagram depicting a system 100 in whichthe processes described herein can be executed is provided for exemplarypurposes. In one embodiment, system 100 includes a server 200communicating with a representative computing device 90 across a network50 with communication channels 75. The server 200 stores personalinformation 202 about customers, recent activities data 204 related tothe customers, business rules 206 to be applied as described herein,conversation plans 208 that are generated, a services database 210,which includes information about various services a company may offer,an authentication module 212 that performs customer authentication, anda Web site module 214.

For exemplary purposes only, personal information 202 about customersmay include the customer's legal name, what name they preferred to becalled by, names of their family members (including former familymembers such as ex-spouses), ages for the customer and their family, howthe customer is eligible for coverage (if applicable). The personalinformation 202 includes information necessary to perform authenticationof the customer as described herein. The authentication information mayinclude one or more voice samples, caller identification numbers,hardware-specific data related to one or more mobile devices associatedwith the customer, media access control (MAC) address, and the like. Theauthentication module 212 includes the logic and processing capabilitynecessary to accomplish the authentication of the customer.

Recent activities data 204 by the customer may include the customerenrolling in a service that the company offers (e.g., mortgage,automobile loan, auto/home/life insurance, banking, and credit card),changing the settings of a service already enrolled in (e.g., raisingthe deductible and lowering the premium of an auto insurance policy),calling the company to ask a question and/or discuss a topic,researching information on the company's website, and/or researchinginformation on the internet and later visiting the company's website(e.g., wherein the company's servers may glean past Internet activitiesbased on “cookies”). The recent activities data 204 may also includeinformation related to current interactions between the customer and thecustomer service representative, data entered by the customer servicerepresentative, data gleened from the customer's interaction during thecurrent Web session, and the like. As can be seen, the recent activitiesdata 204 is updated in real or near-real time.

Business rules 206 may include associations, correlations and/orcausations between (1) information and/or past activities and (2) futureactivities. For example, a business rule may reflect the relationshipbetween (1) a child attaining the age of 15 and (2) adding anothermember to an auto insurance policy. In another example, a business rulemay associate (1) browsing the company's website searching for lifeinsurance information and (2) the subsequent phone call to the companybeing a request to (2a) enroll in a life insurance policy, or (2b)change the settings of an existing life insurance policy. In yet anotherexample, a business rule may associate (1) a customer attainingretirement age and (2) the customer lowering their life insurancepremium to a lower amount.

In one embodiment, a conversation plan 208 may include a series oftopics about which the company's representative will suggest discussingwith the customer. For example, if the customer is about to turn 65years old and has a child about to turn 15 years old, the conversationplan may include the representative first suggesting to talk aboutadding the child to an auto insurance policy, and subsequentlydiscussing if the customer wants to amend their life insurance policy.In yet another example, a conversation plan may include asking abouteach service the customer is enrolled in with reference being made tothe most recent event associated with each service (e.g., the firsttopic may be asking if the customer wants to amend their recently addedhome insurance policy, and the second topic may be asking the customerabout the additional member she added to her auto insurance policy ayear ago).

The customer service representative is presented with Web links to therecommend Web path aligned with the selected conversation plan. Therecommendation is a Web link that the MSR clicks to open. Once open, thecustomer service representative can immediately generate the details ofa recommendation such as a life insurance policy quote for the customer.It is preferably that if the customer's information has already beenentered, then the customer information is auto-populated. Examples ofsuch linking recommendations are that the customer should get lifeinsurance, renter's insurance, a credit card sponsored by the company orotherwise, open investment accounts and the like. Such information isgenerally stored in the services database 210.

The services database 210 also includes information related to thecustomer's enrollment in any services that are offered by the company.Such information may include the details of the customer's policies, thedetails of previous settings to current policies, and the details of thesettings to previous policies the customer has enrolled in. For example,if a company offers credit card services, mortgage services, bankingservices, automobile loan services, investment services, insuranceservices and housing services, the services database may includeinformation related to their customers' involvement with those services.

The authentication module 212 includes all the necessary programming andinformation to perform enhanced authentication. The enhancedauthentication module 212 may include voice or other biometric filesrelated to each customer along with software routines for determiningcaptured information matches the information on file.

The Web site module 214 is capable of creating Web pages and sharing theWeb pages with multiple users over the network 50. The Web site module214 can modify and update the Web pages based on interaction withcustomers and customer service representatives. The Web site module 214can create private portions of the shared Web pages so that a customerand a customer service representative view the same Web page whileadditional portions may be private for viewing by only one party or theother. The Web site module 214 creates a rich environment for thecustomer and the customer service representative. One way of layeringthe information is to provide selectable links within the Web pages toother goods and services with the customer information auto-populated.

Turning now to FIG. 2, illustrated therein is an exemplary embodiment ofcomputing device 200 for use in the system 100. Such a computing device200 is exemplary of how a server 200 and even how a representativecomputing device 90 may be configured. The following discussion isprincipally with respect to the computing device 200 when functioning asthe server 200. The server 200 preferably includes bus 205, over whichintra-device communications travel. A processor 210, interface device220, network device 230, and memory 240 all communication across the bus205. The server 200 also preferably includes RAM 242 and hard drive 245for storage. The computing device 200 include a display system, such asa monitor (not shown), particularly when used as a representativecomputing device 90.

The term “module”/“engine” is used herein to denote a functionaloperation that may be embodied either as a stand-alone component or asan integrated configuration of a plurality of subordinate components.Thus, “modules”/“engines” may be implemented as a single module or as aplurality of modules that operate in cooperation with one another.Moreover, although “modules”/“engines” may be described herein as beingimplemented as software, they could be implemented in any of hardware(e.g. electronic circuitry), firmware, software, or a combinationthereof.

Memory 240 is a computer-readable medium encoded with a computerprogram. Memory 240 stores data and instructions that are readable andexecutable by processor 310 for controlling the operation of processor210. Memory 240 may be implemented in random access memory 242 (RAM), anon-transitory computer readable medium, volatile or non-volatilememory, solid state storage devices, magnetic devices, hard drive 245,database 246, a read only memory (ROM), or a combination thereof.

Processor 210 is an electronic device configured of logic circuitry thatresponds to and executes instructions. Processor 210 outputs results ofan execution of the methods described herein. Alternatively, processor210 could direct the output to a remote device (not shown) via network50. The various components such as the processor 210 and memory 240 ofthe computing devices 200 can function as a server to accomplish themore functional databases and modules 202-214 described above as wouldbe appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art.

It is to be further appreciated that computer networks, upon which theembodiments described herein my interact and/or function, can include alocal area network (LAN) and a wide area network (WAN), other networkssuch as a personal area network (PAN), or any combination thereof. Suchnetworking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-widecomputer networks, intranets, and the Internet. For instance, when usedin a LAN networking environment, the system 100 is connected to the LANthrough a network interface or adapter (not shown). When used in a WANnetworking environment, the computing system environment typicallyincludes a modem or other means for establishing communications over theWAN, such as the Internet. The modem, which may be internal or external,may be connected to a system bus via a user input interface, or viaanother appropriate mechanism. In a networked environment, programmodules depicted relative to the system 100, or portions thereof, may bestored in a remote memory storage device such as storage medium. It isto be appreciated that the illustrated network connections of FIG. 1 areexemplary and other means of establishing a communications link betweenmultiple computers may be used.

It should be understood that computing devices 200 each generallyinclude at least one processor, at least one interface, and at least onememory device coupled via buses. Computing devices 200 may be capable ofbeing coupled together, coupled to peripheral devices, and input/outputdevices. Computing devices 200 are represented in the drawings asstandalone devices, but are not limited to such. Each can be coupled toother devices in a distributed processing environment.

Turning to FIG. 3, illustrated therein is an exemplary process 1000 ofutilizing system 100. Starting at step 1001, interaction with a customerbegins and an integrated desktop is displayed on the workstationcomputer 90 of a representative of a company. The interaction may be anonline chat, incoming call by the customer, or the customer servicerepresentative being prompted to call the customer and the like. Theintegrated desktop is a software application or module running in thesystem 100 that presents information on the workstation computer 90. Theintegrated desktop creates and presents a plurality of screens relatedto the customer for review by the customer service representative.

The integrated desktop includes customer information about customers,both current, past and potential. When presenting information to thecustomer service representative, a customer dashboard is created. Thecustomer dashboard can change from screen to screen but continuallyprovides information related to the customer to facilitate the customerservice representative establishing rapport with the customer.Establishing a good interaction with the customer facilitates thecustomer will tell their story (e.g., share information). As a result,the customer service representative gains an understanding of thecustomer's needs, both recognized and unrecognized, to provide excellentservice and advantageous upselling.

Upon receiving the call from the customer, the system 100 utilizes theauthentication module 212 to verify the customer's identity and preventfraud. The customer is initially asked typical information such as theirname and/or customer number. Based on the initial information, the datarelevant to the customer can be found in the personal information 202and other locations.

Once the initial customer information is acquired, whether it be bytelephone or another method, the system 100 can present an initialscreen shot 400 for review by the customer service representative asshown in FIG. 4. The screen shot 400 includes several components of thecustomer dashboard that can be used, modified, and re-used with othercomponents not shown. One or more portions of the customer dashboard arelikely to remain in view of the customer service representative throughseveral screen changes. Upon review of the screen shot 400, the customerservice representative begins to get an excellent understanding and feelfor the customer and his situation.

The screen shot 400 includes a header portion 402 for a customer namedTom Thompson. The header portion 402 presents basic information right atthe top of the screen shot 400 for a clean and simple view of thecustomer. The header portion 402 includes name, title and authenticationstatus (i.e., high risk authenticated). In this example, the headerportion 402 also includes that Mr. Thompson has been a customer of thecompany for 23 years, his date of birth, and age. As this companyrequires certain criteria to be met in order to utilize their goods andservices, the eligibility criteria of Mr. Thompson is also noted, namelyeligibility by, at one time, being the dependent child of an eligibleperson.

The header portion 402 also includes a current status of the customer,namely that Mr. Thompson is on the company's Web site usaa.com. Moredetailed information regarding the status of browsing a renters quote isalso provided. In the event contact has not yet been established bytelephone, the customer service representative can click within theheader portion 402 to call the customer. Or, if interaction isterminated, the customer service representative can click within theheader portion 402 to close the screen shot 400 and move on to the nextinteraction.

The screen shot 400 has a notices portion 404 for presenting salientinformation like topics to avoid (e.g., former spouse) as well as theability to create additional entries in this section for futurereference. A personal profile portion 406 includes contact and systeminformation (e.g., notification and security preferences) along with theability to perform typical access related tasks (e.g., password and PINchanges) for Mr. Thompson. A household portion 408 includes pictoralidentification of the household members along with an ability to updatethe household. The screen shot 400 also includes a recent activityportion 410 that allows the customer service representative to scrollthrough the activity of Mr. Thompson in reverse chronological order.

As can be seen, the portions 402, 404, 406, 408, 410 allow the customerservice representative to establish baseline knowledge about thecustomer quickly and easily. In the event that the interaction is bytelephone, normal and customary greeting is accomplished to beginbuilding rapport between the customer and customer servicerepresentative. A customer products portion 412 provides a view ofcustomer accounts including any accounts related to the household. Alife plan portion 414 graphically illustrates various goals identifiedfor the customer. By pairing the customer products portion 412 with thelife plan portion 414, the customer service representative has a broadoverview of Mr. Thompson's financial status and outlook. As a result,the customer service representative can review the customer's lifesituation to identify enhanced product and service offerings or newofferings (i.e., upselling) based on recognized needs even if thecustomer does not recognize the need.

Still referring to FIG. 4, the screen shot 400 includes a scratchpadnotes portion 416. In the scratchpad notes portion 416, the customerservice representative can prepare additional notes in paragraph formfor review in subsequent interactions.

As can be seen, the screen shot 400 provides conversational, status,product and other information related to the customer, Mr. Thompson. Byreviewing the information of the screen shot 400, the customer servicerepresentative is better able to have a productive, efficient and smoothdialogue with the customer. It is envisioned that the customer servicerepresentative gleans available cues from the screen shot 400 to informher expectations for the upcoming interaction with the customer. As aresult, rapport is maintained and improved.

Further, the same screen shot 400 can be presented to subsequentcustomer service representatives who may be called upon to interact withthe customer due to having a specialty or higher experience level. Thesubsequent customer service representative can again quickly and easilyreview the personal information about the customer, the customer'sfamily's information, the customer's age, recent activities the customerhas engaged in (e.g., withdrawal of $9,000 from an emergency fund, afixed rate loan of $40,000), status of the phone call (e.g., if thecustomer has been transferred and how many times, how long the customerhas been on hold, how long the call has lasted), an indication of thecustomer's preferred nickname (e.g., “Tommy” instead of “Thomas”) andthe like to establish rapport. Additionally, the screen shot 400 mayinclude a button to accomplish the transfer of the call within thecompany.

While screenshot 400 is being presented to the customer servicerepresentative, the system 100 can perform enhanced authentication usingthe authentication module 212 without disturbing the conversation flow.In one embodiment, the personal information 102 includes one or morevoice samples captured during previous verified interaction with thecustomer. The system 100 captures additional live voice samples forcomparison. If the speaker matches, enhanced authentication is completeand the system 100 proceeds. It is envisioned that the recorded and livevoice samples are captured without interruption in the conversationhowever it is not required.

In an alternative embodiment, the system 100 uses caller identificationnumbers acquired from the current call for comparison against a calleridentification number stored in the personal information 202. If theauthentication module 212 determines that the caller identificationnumbers match, then enhanced authentication is verified withoutinterrupting the conversation. The caller identification numberauthentication may be instead of or in addition to the other enhancedauthentication techniques disclosed herein.

In another embodiment, the authentication module 212 captureshardware-specific data related to one or more mobile devices associatedwith the customer. The hardware-specific data may include a deviceserial number, network account information, the version of softwarerunning on a mobile phone, type of mobile phone, or other informationassociated with land lines and the like. By again finding matchinginformation, the system 100 is able to perform enhanced authenticationwithout interrupting the conversation. The hardware-specificauthentication may be instead of or in addition to the other enhancedauthentication techniques disclosed herein.

Still another embodiment of enhanced authentication utilizes mediaaccess control (MAC) address. Again, the system 100 captures the MACaddress during the conversation and compares the MAC address to a MACaddress stored in the personal information 202 without interrupting theconversation. When the authentication module 212 determines a match,enhanced authentication is verified. The MAC address authentication maybe instead of or in addition to the other enhanced authenticationtechniques disclosed herein.

It is envisioned that the original personal information 202 is alsopopulated without interrupting initial conversations. Additionally, thevarious enhanced authentication techniques may be prioritized so thatthe order is set. Upon failure of the first enhanced authenticationattempt, a predetermined number of repeat attempts may be tried.However, rather than finalizing the process upon a failed enhancedauthentication attempt, the system 100 proceeds to attempt enhancedauthentication with the next parameter and so on until authentication issuccessful or all of the parameters have been exhausted.

As the interaction with the customer progresses, the system 100 presentsadditional screenshots such as shown in FIG. 5A. Although the Web pages500, 600 of the FIG. 5 screenshot may be presented separately, thecustomer service representative may review them on a split screen byrequest or certain events may cause the split screen to occurautomatically. For example, when the customer service representativeassumes control of screen 600 for review with the customer, the splitscreen occurs automatically.

The FIG. 5A screen shot includes a first Web page 600 that is accessibleto the customer service representative and the customer at the same timewhereas a second Web page 500 is only accessible to the customer servicerepresentative or vice versa. The customer service representative cansee the interaction of the customer with first Web page 600 and takecontrol of the Web page 600. The customer service representative canalso prepare windows and applications in the second Web page 500 to bedragged and dropped into the first Web page 600 for review by thecustomer. Additionally, the customer service representative may createand modify content directly on the Web page 600.

The content of the first Web page 600 is selected by the customer andthe customer service representative due to the common interaction.However, the content and interaction of the second Web page 500 iscompletely under the control of the customer service representative.Preferably, only the customer service representative can see the secondWeb page 500. The customer service representative can prepare quotes,start applications, create display windows and the like on the privateportion of the FIG. 5A screenshot (e.g., Web page 500), then simply dragand drop the desired portion onto the first Web page 600 forsimultaneous review by the customer. In one embodiment, the customerservice representative generates a full detail price quote for aninsurance product, then drops the price quote into the shared area forreview by the customer. As a result of the enhanced guidance andinteraction with the customer service representative, telephonicinteraction between the customer and customer service representative isenhanced. Frustration on the part of the customer can be avoided andovercome.

In order to provide more information regarding screenshot 500, FIGS.5B-I are provided to illustrate subparts of screenshots 500, 600. Thedetails of FIGS. 5A-I are self-explanatory and thus, not described ingreat detail herein.

Referring now to FIG. 5B, the member dashboard information area 502 toestablish and improve rapport with the customer has been modified andsized to still fit on a left side of the screen shot 500. The dashboardarea 502 has a header area 504 including the customer's name, job, photoif available, age, and address along with the ability to edit suchinformation. A notes area 506 shows previous notes and can receive newnotes. A household area 508 includes family related details, surveyresults in the form of a satisfaction score, eligibility information,special status, and tenure as a customer.

A preferences area 510 of the dashboard area 502 illustrates theproducts reviewed by the customer, the rating for same, and a link tofurther see the details of the review. The preferences area 510 alsoincludes charted channel information, when the customer has Web, mobile,phone, and in-person contact available. A “whats going on” area 512allows the customer service representative to engage in small talk bypresenting the local time and current events in the geographic area ofthe customer. Effective small talk is not only helpful to overcome smallgaps in the conversation flow but fosters development of rapport.Similarly, the dashboard area 502 has an interests area 514 thatpresents known interests of the customer. Again, by knowing what thecustomer's interests are, the customer service representative is able tomore effectively interact with the customer.

Referring again to FIG. 3, the system 100 may generate, prioritize anddisplay future actions predicted by the customer's information andbusiness rules (step 1002). The screen shots 500, 600 of FIG. 5A areexamples of the information presented to the customer servicerepresentative. Once likely future actions are predicted, these actionscan be further utilized by the conversation plan module 208 to createthe linking recommendations as described below.

Referring now to FIGS. 5A-I, based upon the information gathered by thecustomer service representative, the integrated desktop programgenerates and displays additional information while prioritizing futureactions (step 1002 of FIG. 3). The customer service representativetypically reviews screenshots 400, 500, 600. Initially, during theinteraction with the customer, typically a call, the customer servicerepresentative reinforces the customers connection to the company bybeing familiar and dexterous with the details related to the customer.As the customer service representative navigates the various screenshotsof the Web site and interacts with the customer, the customer servicerepresentative begins to understand the larger context of the customerwhile encouraging the customer to share their story and enter salientdetails into the system 100. This process helps the system 100 and thecustomer service representative to identify the customer's intent andneeds. As a result, the comfort level of the customer with the customerservice representative increases. This enhanced customer comfort trulymakes it easier for the customer service representative to up-sell.

Referring to FIG. 5C, the additional information for review by thecustomer service representative is shown in a products area 516 and alife plan area 518. The products area 516 provide a graphical summary ofrelevant products and services already provided to the client such as ahome loan, car loan, mutual fund or other savings plan (e.g., 529college fund), bank account information, investment information, andhealth information. The life plan area 518 creates a figure of merit 520for financial security based on the data related to the customer andpossibly other factors. The system 100 generates an “actual” reading ofthe index 520 based on the customer information. The customer servicerepresentative also inputs sentiment from the customer to help generatea “perceived” reading of the index 520. Additionally, goals and outlookof the customer, as identified by the customer service representative,are included in the life plan area 518.

Referring to FIG. 5D, an understand area 522 of screen shot 500 isillustrated. The understand area 522 helps the customer servicerepresentative enter, track and document interaction with the customerfor use during the interaction and subsequent interactions. Theunderstand area 522 includes a reason for the call and associated time,mood and interest indication. Current aspirations are also updated alongwith concerns and recent life events that the customer may have. Basedupon the interaction and review of the information, the customer servicerepresentative can enter details in a call notes section. Similarly, aninteraction synthesis and interaction history are included in understandarea 522.

As can be seen, the system 100 presents a plurality of screens to thecustomer service representative at their workstation 90 so that thecustomer service representative can give and take information with thesystem 90 while interacting with the customer to upsell and otherwiseassist the customer to accomplish their goals. The customer is also ableto review a plurality of Web pages that reflect the customer servicerepresentative activity as well as their own selections and/or entereddata and the like. Once the customer becomes confident that the customerservice representative is working towards the customer's goals,confidence in the company and rapport with the customer servicerepresentative occurs.

Referring again to FIG. 3, at step 1003, the system 100 may alsogenerate and, prioritize and display a conversation plan area 602 (seeFIGS. 5E-H), which is part of screen shot 600 of FIG. 5A. Theconversation plan may include one or more topics. Each topic mayinclude, for exemplary purposes only, a question for the representativeto ask the customer, a topic to be raised, and/or a recent change to thecustomer's services and/or situation.

Preferably, each topic displayed in the conversation plan area 602 onthe representative's computer may include one or more links, each linkproviding the ability for the representative to quickly access differentinformation and/or functionality. A typical link is a graphical image ortext, usually underlined and in special color, to alert the customerservice representative. The customer service representative can selectthe link to open additional Web pages to accomplish various tasks oraccess different information and the like. The system 100cross-populates the Web pages accessed by the link on-the-fly so thecustomer service representative does not have to repeatedly enter thesame information. Referring now to FIG. 5E, an exemplary initialconversation plan area 602 is illustrated. This conversation planrepresents the beginning of an in-progress interaction between acustomer service representative and a customer. The customer is beinghelped with a $6,000 investment indicated in area 603. The system 100reviews the personal information database 202 and recent activitiesdatabase 204 to determine, in this example, that a new baby had justarrived in the family. By applying rules from the business rule database206, new conversation items area 605 illustrates several expandabletopics 607.

The new conversation items 607 relate to life insurance and starting a529 college saving fund for the new baby, Sam. The system 100 generatesthese suggestions (e.g., the conversation plan) for storage in theconversation plan module 208. The conversation plan is based on therecent activity, stored in the recent activity database 204, andapplication of business rules stored in the business rules database 206and any other pertinent data. The conversation plan module 208 pullstogether the activity data and applies the business rules in combinationwith acquiring additional information about the relevant goods andservices from the services database 210. As the conversation plan isdeveloped, the system 100 uses the Web site module 214 to create Webpages for presentation to the customer service representative and thecustomer. It is envisioned that the Web pages will not only be linkedtogether but often many Web pages will be overlayed or simplyrepresented as links.

Referring now to FIG. 5F, the conversation plan area 602 with additionalsupport area 604 is shown. As the customer service transitions into therecommended topics and indicates such, the system 100 providesadditional suggestions and elements in the support area 604. In orderfor the support area 604 to be displayed, the customer servicerepresentative simply needs to hover the screen pointer over the desireditem 607.

The support area 604 provides talking points 606 and supporting dialog608 for the customer interaction related to the correspond item 607, inthis case “life insurance.” The customer service representative can alsoeasily enter these points into the record of the interaction byselecting an “Add to Conversation” button 610 and/or close the supportarea 604 by selecting a “cancel” area 611. Of course, this technology isequally applicable to “online chat”, instant messaging, videoconferencing and other forms of interaction.

As the interaction proceeds, the system 100 provides additionalinformation as the customer service representative enters additionalinformation about the interaction by updating the conversation plan(step 1004 of FIG. 3). For example, a conversation support area 614 asshown in FIG. 5G is presented to the customer service representative toassist with the discussions related to life insurance and 529 collegesavings accounts. The conversation support area 614 hopefully providestalking points that allow the customer to recognize that the customerservice representative is not only trying to assist with accomplishingthe customer's goals, but also to identify what those goals may be. Suchexercises build rapport and confidence with the customer.

Referring to FIG. 5H, the conversation plan area 602 is again shown butwith links that have been activated, such as by point-and-click action,in accordance with step 1005 of FIG. 3. FIG. 5H represents aconversation plan for a different individual than above, say a typicalyoung adult that the company would like to begin a life-longrelationship with. As such, the conversation plan would look muchdifferent from the parent with three children above. For example, thisconversation plan may be to discuss renters insurance as shown by area613. The proposed renters insurance quote is preferably shown in anadjacent area such as 612 of the screen shot 602.

As would be appreciated, the conversation plan area 602, via the link,may allow the customer service representative to quickly andautomatically open the related activity and/or potential customer'spolicies while still allowing the customer service representative toactively engage in the current conversation. Housekeeping tasks such asupdating the customer's address can be attended to in area 615. Iftransfer to a different customer service representative is helpful, a“transfer” button 617 is selectable. In this example, the “transfer”button 617 is shown because a duplicate check payment occurred, whichmay require the expertise of an account services specialist.

In order to effectively transfer, the customer service representativemay need to docket follow-up with the customer using follow-up area 619.Existing follow-up items are shown in the follow-up area 619 but tocreate a new follow-up item, the customer service representative uses apull-down menu area 620. Pull-down menu area 620 provides a list ofselectable options so that the customer service representative canquickly generate additional follow-up items. Additionally, the pull-downmenu area 620 allows the customer service representative to search foroffers to present to the customer. The offers may be searched bykeyword, product or solution and the like.

Still referring to FIG. 5H, by applying the business rules andconducting the searching, the conversation plan is updated to include avariety of products and services to discuss with the customer servicerepresentative, which are shown in recommendations area 621. Still onthe example of young adult renting topics, for discussion, includecredit cards, investments, financial planning, etc. Each such possiblerecommendation is provided as a selectable link 623, whether it be inthe form of special font text or a graphical icon.

As each link may be selected, the conversation plan area 602 remainswhile the information related to the selected link is shown in OptionsExplorer portion 612 of screen shot 600, an example of which is shown inFIG. 5I. In another embodiment, for example, if the topic is to ask ifthe customer would like to initiate life insurance, the link may allowthe representative to quickly and automatically access the ability togenerate and configure life insurance quotes. It is contemplated hereinthat the link may be a hyperlink (e.g., such as in Web browsers) thatopens in the same “page”, the link may be a hyperlink that opens a new“page”, clicking the link may start a different program/application onthe representative's computer, or any other functionally equivalent orsimilar computerized transition mechanisms as known in the art.Referring now to FIG. 5I, a detailed view of exemplary “investmentoption” is shown in Options Explorer portion 612. The Options Explorerportion 612 would be available to the customer service representativethroughout the customer interaction. In the example of the father ofthree, the customer service representative is managing the $6,000investment via the Options Explorer portion 612 of the screen shot 600preferably after having selected a representative link. Even as moredata is entered into the system 100 by the customer servicerepresentative and the screens 500,600 (step 1006 of FIG. 3), theOptions Explorer portion 612 remains shown and is simply updated inreal-time.

By discussing the customer's needs in view of their current lifesituation, the customer service representative guides the customer in adiscussion of recommended solutions, options and opportunities. Becauseof the assistance of the integrated desktop program running on thesystem 100, the customer service representative helps the customer thinkthrough concerns and possible objections. By making the customer feelempowered to decide on the course of action, the customer is willing andlikely to select solutions, products and services of the company thatbest address their needs and aspirations. The integrated desktop helpsthe customer service representative see a global view for the customerand respond when the customer requests assistance. By asking questionsto make sure that the customer service representative truly understandthe needs of the customer, a shared understanding of the requests andneeds is accomplished. From this point, the customer and the customerservice representative can engage in detailed tactical work, stillwithin the integrated desktop, to bring decisions to fruition and tasksto completion.

In order to complete the designed plan, future action may be required.The customer service representative uses the integrated desktop tocreate the future plan in a tangible and actionable manner. The customerservice representative passes along from the integrated desktop therelevant resources to support the customer in following their personalpath to financial security and accomplishing the plan goals. Milestones,deadlines and follow up with the customer are all entered into theintegrated desktop. After the interaction, the customer servicerepresentative follows up with the customer, upon prompting by theintegrated desktop, via the channel of the customer's choice, to delivertangible evidence of progress and provide support for taking therelevant next steps.

Referring now to FIG. 5J, it illustrates an exemplary screen shot havinglayered and linked Web pages for review by and interaction with acustomer service representative in accordance with the subjecttechnology. By linking and layering the Web pages, the customer servicerepresentative has an organized view of the activity. The base view 640is part of the screen shot 600 in the same location as Options Explorerportion 612. Indeed, the base view 640 could start out as the OptionsExplorer portion 612. However, in FIG. 5J, a different example isillustrated from that above.

In FIG. 5J, multiple windows are being accessed by the customer servicerepresentative, each window being represented and accessed by a tab 642a-c (information related to an application directory, a renters quote,and updating an address, respectively). The customer servicerepresentative can move between the three activities by selecting thedesired tab 642 a-c. Even within the presented base view 640, additionalwindows 644, 646 can be layered onto the base window 640. In the exampleshown, window 640 relates to updating the address information whilewindow 644 relates to the renters quote and window 646 relates topersonal property coverage. Each window 640, 644, 646 may include aplurality of tabs as desired by the customer service representative.

Referring again to FIG. 3, in one embodiment, and in some utilizations,based on information gathered and/or received during the phone call, thenew conversation plan may be generated because the customer called tocancel their life insurance because money is currently limited. Theresulting new conversation plan includes a topic that directs therepresentative to ask the customer if they would like to reconfiguretheir other policies (e.g., auto insurance, home insurance) to lower thepremiums based on application of a business rule to determine this asappropriate action.

Again, information gathered during the phone call is saved to system 100(step 1006) for inclusion and updating of all information andconversation plans for the respective customer. This informationincludes, for exemplary purposes only, any information communicated bythe customer to the representative (e.g., I would like to increase myauto insurance coverage in a few months), any additional policies thatthe customer enrolled in (e.g., adding home insurance policy), changesto policies that the customer is enrolled in (e.g., reconfiguring anexisting home insurance policy), and/or follow-up activities and/orconversations that may or may not be contingent upon informationdiscussed during the phone call and/or client enrollment and/orreconfiguration of the client's existing enrollment in services.

Referring still to FIG. 3, it is contemplated herein that, in one ormore embodiments, at any time in the process 100 of the customer'sinteraction, responsibility for the customer interaction as well as ascreen that may include the customer's information and/or theconversation plan, may be transferred from one representative to anotherrepresentative (step 1008). For example, if the customer requestsspecific details about life insurance policies in the customer's stateof residence, the call may be transferred to a specialist that isfamiliar with the questions and/or issues that the customer may present.In this example, the “transfer” button 617 (see FIG. 5 H) may beselected in the graphical user interface (GUI) of the firstrepresentative, and automatically the customer's phone call may betransferred to the second representative, and the secondrepresentative's computer's GUI may include the customer's informationas well as displaying possible insurance options that the customer maybe interested in. Further, it is contemplated herein that the secondrepresentative may first be conferenced into the phone call, and afteran introduction is made, the first representative may exit the phonecall.

For example, FIG. 6 illustrates a portion 700 of a screen shot presentedto at least the second customer service representative during a calltransfer. The portion 700 may be integrated into previous screensdiscussed herein or presented as part of a separate screen. The portion700 includes information to allow for determining the customer's status,last prompt, recent activities and why the interaction is beingtransferred. Upon getting up to speed, the second customer servicerepresentative can select the transfer call button 702.

Referring to FIG. 7, an example of a pop-up call transfer synthesis area800 is shown. Again, the call transfer synthesis area 800 may beautomatically provided to both of the involved customer servicerepresentatives upon selection of the call transfer option. The calltransfer synthesis area 800 includes the reason for the transfer andadditional background information about the customer.

Whether it be the first or the second customer service representativereviewing the information related to a customer, each customer servicerepresentative can access the split screen shot 500 as shown for examplein FIG. 5A. The system 100 presents split screen shots at various timesin the process 1000 either automatically or by request of the customerservice representative.

As can be seen, it is recognized that the customer servicerepresentatives will have different skill and experience levels. Thus,the system 100 may display different conversation plan items based onthe skills, training and experience of the customer servicerepresentative. Additionally, the education and/or work history of thecustomer can impact the conversation plan/screens presented to thecustomer service representative(s).

The techniques described herein are exemplary, and should not beconstrued as implying any particular limitation on the presentdisclosure. It should be understood that various alternatives,combinations and modifications could be devised by those skilled in theart. For example, steps associated with the processes described hereincan be performed in any order, unless otherwise specified or dictated bythe steps themselves. The present disclosure is intended to embrace allsuch alternatives, modifications and variances that fall within thescope of the appended claims.

The terms “comprise”, “include”, and conjugations thereof are to beinterpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers,steps or components, but not precluding the presence of one or moreother features, integers, steps or components or groups thereof.

Although the systems and methods of the subject invention have beendescribed with respect to the embodiments disclosed above, those skilledin the art will readily appreciate that changes and modifications may bemade thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the subjectinvention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for sharingcomputer screen content between a first computer having a display and atleast a second computer having a display, comprising the steps of:providing on the first computer a display defined with first and secondsections; providing web page content in the second section that is onlyaccessible by a user of the first computer which second section web pagecontent includes data generated by the first computer user based uponinteraction between the first computer user and a user of the secondcomputer; and moving, at the instruction of the first computer user,selected content from the second section to the first section of thefirst computer so as to be shared and viewable as web page content onthe second computer.
 2. The computer implemented method of claim 1,further including: receiving and storing data related to the at leastsecond computer user at the first computer; and commencing telephonicinteraction between respective users of each first and at least oneother computer in association with the data received and stored at thefirst computer.
 3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, furtherincluding: commencing a Web session on a Web site for the firstcomputer; displaying at least a part of the data on the first computeras a first Web page, wherein the first Web page includes at least oneselectable link to a second Web page; and selecting the at least oneselectable link by the first computer user to display the second Webpage.
 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the firstWeb page includes a plurality of links.
 5. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 3, wherein the first Web page includes a link totransfer responsibility for the interaction to another user of the firstcomputer.
 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein thefirst Web page includes a link to create follow-up items.
 7. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the second Web page isauto-populated with the data.
 8. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 1, wherein the first and at least second computer are coupled toone another via the Internet.
 9. A computer system comprising: memorystoring data, applications and software modules; and a processorconnected to the memory and configured to: provide a display associatedwith the computer system defined by first and second sections; provideweb page content in the second section accessible only by a user of thecomputer system which second section web page content includes datagenerated based upon interaction with a user of the at least one othercomputer; and move, at the instruction of the computer system user,selected content from the second section to the first section so as tobe shared and viewable as web page content on the at least one othercomputer.
 10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein data relating to auser of the at least one other computer is received and stored in thememory of the computer system.
 11. The computer system of claim 9,wherein a Web session is commenced on a Web site and at least a portionof the data is displayed on the computer system as a first Web page,wherein the first Web page includes at least one selectable link to asecond Web page and the at least one selectable link is selected by theuser of the computer system to display the second Web page.
 12. Thecomputer system of claim 9, wherein the computer system and the leastone other computer are coupled to one another via the Internet.
 13. Thecomputer system of claim 11, wherein the first Web page includes aplurality of links.